Castro Valley Just Misses Out on Playoffs

By Chris Jackson Sunday February 17, 2013The Castro Valley High School boys basketball team was so talented this year, but they just missed out on the playoffs.Castro Valley finished the year 13-13 and 3-8 in the West Alameda County League. To qualify, they would have needed to have above a .500 record in either one of those categories.Their resume was great. If they would have had one more win, they could have possibly been an eight seed, but with all of those close losses to great teams, they missed out on the playoffs.In what is arguably the best league in the Bay Area, the West Alameda County League, Castro Valley had more than a handful of close losses. They lost twice to Berkeley by a combined eight points, lost to San Leandro the second time by just six points, an eight point loss to San Lorenzo, a three point loss in the season finale to the league champs, Bishop O’Dowd, a one point loss to Heritage, a seven point loss to Newark Memorial, a five point loss to Granada, a one point loss to Enterprise (Redding) and a four point loss to Deer Valley.Losing to Bishop O’Dowd by just three points (68-65) is what knocked Castro Valley out of being in the Division 1 playoffs for the North Coast Section.And so there it was, just by three points. Three points was the difference between being in the playoffs and not being in them.You could even say that one point loss was the difference maker to a talented Heritage squad. One more made basket could have been all they needed to make it to the playoffs.But there is also a bunch of quality wins. They beat Freedom by 14 points and they beat Oakland by three points.Next season, Castro Valley returns two recruits. They return 6’5” forward Derrick Clayton, who has offers from San Francisco, San Jose State, UC Davis and Utah State, and 5’10” guard Jalen McFerren.Just because the Trojans of Castro Valley didn’t make the playoffs, that they aren’t good, because they are very talented year in and year out. They have a great history of basketball and are in one of the top leagues in Northern California, which includes San Leandro, Bishop O’Dowd, Berkeley and San Lorenzo. The Bay Area as a whole is one of the best areas all-around for high school sports. If Castro Valley was in any other league in Northern California, they most likely would have been over 13-13 overall.Even though Castro Valley didn’t make the playoffs this year, they likely will next year, barring any major setbacks. They return great players and they know what to do to avoid close losses and get on the winning end of those types of games.